There are many types of inflatable, protective packaging available. These range from pre-inflated bubble films to an extensive range of inflatable on-demand systems, which rely on machinery to inflate simple void fill bags or more sophisticated cushioning products. Other types of protective packaging include loose fill, profiled foam, vermiculite and postal products known as “Jiffy Bags”.
This list of packaging products is not exhaustive, but almost all existing protective packaging solutions suffer from a common problem, which this invention seeks to address. Prior packaging solutions are largely made from petroleum based materials or composite materials and are difficult to dispose of in a satisfactory manner.
It is estimated that 56% of all packaging waste is protective packaging waste. With land fill resources diminishing and other environmental concerns, the drive for an environmentally responsible packaging solution has never been greater. While much of the petroleum based packaging can be recycled, it needs to be sorted from other waste material, and the costs involved are often prohibitive.
In recent years that has been a push to use biodegradable plastics for protective packaging. There are two principal types of biodegradable plastics; one uses a small proportion of non-oil based material, such as corn starch, the other uses photo-degradable material that breaks down when exposed to sunlight.
Unfortunately, there are a number of problems with these biodegradable plastics. One problem is that they will only degrade under specific conditions. Starch based plastics need digesters to break them up in the composting process, otherwise they will not degrade. Photo-degradable plastics clearly need light and so will not degrade in land fill sites.
Furthermore, the mixture of degradable and non-degradable plastics complicates plastics sorting systems and is a significant cost.
So, while the use of biodegradable plastics has been recognised as a solution to the waste problem, it is now recognise that current materials will only be viable when there is a corresponding, complete composting infrastructure in place.
There are also performance issues with these biodegradable plastics. The strength and barrier properties of biodegradable plastics in use for packaging are inadequate for some applications.
A further problem with existing inflated packaging is that the inflated cells will rupture at a predetermined load, resulting in an abrupt loss of cushioning. It would be desirable to be able to provide for a more gradual dissipation of load and a reduced susceptibility to rupture.
Accordingly, there is a need for an environmentally friendly protective packaging solution with improved cushioning and barrier performance.